Where to Enjoy Tasty Middle East Cuisine in Jakarta

Kebab… Biryani … Mandi … Zurbiyan …
Are you familiar with this kind of dishes?

Well, that is just a slice of Middle East cuisines. Since Middle East region has diverse homogeneity, the culinary also gets a lot of influence from Arab, Iranian, Israel, Jewish, Armenia, Greek, Turkey, and any other country in Middle East area. In Jakarta, Indonesia, Middle East cuisines are quite popular, especially among Moslem because all of the food is Moslem friendly and halal.

So, where to enjoy tasty Middle East Cuisine? Here I would like to share with you my Middle East culinary experience : )

  1. Sentral Al Jazeerah

My first time coming to Middle East restaurant for having iftar with colleagues during Ramadan season in 2019. We have already done the reservation via telephone two days before the day. When the day came, we hope to be seated on the floor covered by carpet (in Indonesian language, we call “Lesehan”), but the space has already been booked for an event. We were quite dissapointed, it was not because we did not get the “lesehan” space, but because they provided long table for us using buffet table where we could find in an event. That was not comfortable at all. Luckily, they had one empty VIP / private room, so that we moved there.

Here are what we tried in Sentral Al Jazeerah :

Mandi Laham (IDR 141,750)

A big plate of marinated rice with Arabian spices that suits for sharing among 3-4 people. The topping choices are lamb and chicken. We chose the lamb. We got two pieces lamb along with samin oil and safron. The yellow rice is quite fragrant, not in a strong herbs. The lamb is so tender, thick, and good.

Shawarma Chicken on Plate (IDR 86,625)

Arabian styled “kebab” that we could choose the serving with or without rice and either with chicken or lamb. This menu is also served on a big plate, consisting of lavash bread as the base with chicken, vegetables, and fries. This menu is totally RECOMMENDED! I love it! Rip the lavash bread, then fill it with chicken, vegetables along with the savoury and salty fries, then roll it and put into your mouth. Tastes so good!

And this is the ambiance inside Sentral Al Jazeerah

  1. Abunawas Restaurant

This restaurant has Middle East decoration and ambiance. Abunawas consists of two floors with two kind of seating. There are the common seating with table and chair, and the other one is sitting on the carpet with a small sofa in a private room covered by curtains. For the main course with rice, they provide Mandi, Briyani, Zurbiyan rice with the topping lamb, fish, or chicken. They also provide some vegetarian menu.

Here are what we tried in Abunawas :

Zurbiyan Lahm (IDR 115,000)

Zurbiyan is a typical Middle East rice with its herbs and savoury taste. We chose Zurbiyan with Lahm (lamb). The rice is fragrant with its light savory taste and two big tender lambs that have similar texture with beef. A portion of this menu suits for sharing among 3 - 4 persons.

Kebab Dajaj (IDR 95,000)

We chose kebab with Dajaj (chicken). A plate of kebab served separately with chicken, french fries, and sliced onions.
How to eat this?
Put the chicken, french fries, along with the sliced onions on the kebab skin. Then roll and enjoy it. I love the chicken! It tastes so good!

Umm Ali (IDR 38,000)

It is the time for Middle East dessert! This sweet “closing” is recommended by my friend who is a fan of Abunawas Restaurant and currently living in the US. Umm Ali is served hot, made by goat milk with sliced bread, raisins, and sprinkled with cinnamons.The texture is creamy and overall this dessert is similar with bread and butter pudding.

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@Velvel Very helpful and detailed post about middle east foods in Jakarta. I also like Arabian foods. In my city Dhaka there are so many restaurants where we can taste it.

Keep sharing!

Happy Guiding!

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Thank you @ShafiulB

So, you are familiar with Middle East foods. What is your most favorite?

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Lihat dekorasi ruangan sama jenis makanannya fix berasa jalan jalan ke Arab , sebelum naik haji atau umrahan bisa latihan dulu nih ngerasain suasana timur tengah di sini .

Terima kasih @Velvel , !

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Waduuuhh… salah bener buka postingan ini pagi-pagi sebelum sarapan. Bikin auto-laper!

Informatif sekali. Baru tahu kalau kuliner Timur Tengah ada banyak ragamnya dan bukan cuma kebab seperti yang biasa dijual di depan minimarket itu. Dan duduknya ada yang pakai lesehan juga.

Artikel yang menarik, Kak @Velvel :))

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Sama-sama…boleh dicoba tuh idenya teh @Nyainurjanah amin… mudah-mudahan impian naik haji atau umrah teteh bisa tercapai

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Halo @iorikun301 hehehe sama-sama… senangnya artikel kulinerku bisa bermanfaat : ) kapan-kapan cobain menu lainnya selain kebab ya.

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Thanks for sharing this @Velvel - Your photos are great and definitely makes me hungry :smile:

I think I’ve been to the Abunawas restaurant a few years back. They have good food!

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Thank you @iyudhi

Talking about the taste, I personally like Sentral Al Jazeerah more. The food tastes more savoury! But for the ambiance and the decoration, Abunawas wins it :smile:

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Hello @Velvel ,

Wow, thank you for your recommendation with very detailed explanation!

I personally never tried any Middle Eastern cuisine in Jakarta, but now I think this restaurant might be in my go to list! Which of all of the dishes you tried that you highly recommend?

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Hi @AngieYC You’re welcome. Yes, you should try MIddle East cuisine in Jakarta and feel the ambiance. I highly recommend Shawarma Chicken on Plate by Sentral Al Jazeerah. You could choose the topping either with chicken or lamb. This Arabian kebab becomes my favorite with its savory fries and bread.

Have you ever tried Middle East cuisine in Bulgaria or Europe? What is your favorite?

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Hello @Velvel ,

Thank you for your recommendation!

Unfortunately I never tried any Middle Eastern cuisine at all, so I will try you recommendation and let you know once I try it.

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Food looks amazing

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Thanks for your restaurant tips @Velvel . I found Djakarta an amazingly busy place to visit!

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You’re welcome @AdamGT

Jakarta is a big busy city indeed! Have you ever come to Jakarta?

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Oh yes @Velvel , and as I mentioned in my previous reply I found it to be an amazingly busy city!

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So, what food that you enjoy the most during your visit to Jakarta @AdamGT ?

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Mandi Laham but with baked fish rather than meat @Velvel . Very, very tasty :grinning:

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Nice recommendations @Velvel I have only eaten at Abunawas restaurant with my friends, and the best thing about eating here is sitting together on the carpet and digging into the big plate of rice and eating with our hands. Based on your suggestions, I will try the other restaurants you recommended for my next family gathering.

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What an interesting choice @AdamGT

I think I would like to try the rice with fish when coming back to Abunawas Restaurant. It must be good, too.

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